Sweet Music
by CrazyKitCat
Summary: Two girls, a music producer and a cook transfer to Ouran Academy. See what happens when they meet our our strong, silent host and our Shadow King, as they shake the grounds of everything Ouran has ever known.
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please excuse my writing. It WILL get better as the story goes on, but this is the first time I've actually written in 2 years. This story was inspired by a conversation with my wonderful friend Lullaby-of-the-lost, who I met in college. She will be helping me by co-writing this with me! Please enjoy our introductory chapter!**

Our story starts after a semester in France. Beatrice and I are in a small café, enjoying some coffee on cold, rainy winter day.

"Hey, Melody!"

"What do you want," I said, recognizing her tone without even glancing up from the stats on my computer.

"Do you remember how I signed up to work at that traditional Japanese sushi house?"

"Mm," I said, glancing up to look up at my best friend of 9 years, wondering where she was going with this. She and I met in the foster care system in America when I was 9 and she was 7. Almost nine years later, I'm 17 and she's 15 as we study abroad as emancipated minors. The main reason why we spent the previous semester in France, was so that she could study the art of making French pastries while I practically knocked out all of my high school credit classes online. The only reason I have my senior 4 core credits remaining, is because I manage my own music production business online, known as Catchya Music.

"Well, the instructor told me that there was a really good apprenticeship that he signed me up for."

"That's awesome," I say. Although Beatrice is only 15, she has always been a great cook. However, I've known Bea for years, and I know by her tone, there's something she's not telling me. "What will you be studying?"

"The apprenticeship is for traditional Japanese cooking," she trailed off.

"Okay. Come out with it," I said, closing my laptop. Last time she trailed off like that, it meant that something big was about to happen.

"The apprenticeship is in Japan," she mumbled into her coffee. To say I was surprised would be an understatement, as my eyebrows shot up. "But it's such a great opportunity and I heard about Ouran, but I never thought I'd get in. You know the school will accept you with your grades, and considering you just need you four final core credits, studying online shouldn't be too hard. Please can we go?!"

I sigh, seeing the excited sparkle in her eyes. I can never say no to her when she gets like this. I open my computer and pull up the website. "From what I see, Ouran Academy is expensive. Not to mention, we will be practically starting our academic year over or skipping the rest of this year since the Japanese school year starts in the spring. How do you expect to pay for it?"

"Since we already took all of our mandatory classes online for this spring, I was thinking we could just skip forward. That way, I'll start my sophomore year schooling, and be a first year at Ouran and you would skip forward to be a third year. Plus, the school is offering me a scholarship to attend the cooking program as well as a work-study in the cafeteria at the school."

"If that's the case, why don't I just take the credits online and work from home?" I ask, still typing away on my laptop.

"Because it'll be your senior year Mel, and you need to experience school-life, just like I want to. We've been travelling around so much and I know how you've wanted to live in Japan since you were six. Well, this is the perfect chance to! Not to mention, you can attend all of the advanced math and science classes you could dream of. Plus... A little birdie told me Ouran has some pretty awesome business classes!" She explains animatedly.

"As awesome as that all is Bea... Where do you expect us to live? It's not like Ouran has dorms for foreign students."

"I actually thought of that already! I looked it up on some websites and found some really cute images of reasonably priced two-bedroom, one bath apartments. The best part is, they're just two blocks from the school," she says as she beckons for my computer. I grudgingly hand it over with a small fake pout, as she pulls up the website for me to look at.

I have to say, all things considered, it _was_ a pretty nice place. "Have you considered how we'll pay for this apartment?" I ask, as I pull the computer back towards me and begin typing again. After a pause, I look up to see her guilty smile, which means she's hoping I'll pay for it with the money I earn from Catchya Music.

"Please," she begs, her hands clasped together in a pleading motion as she unleashes her killer puppy-dog eyes.

"Really?!" I ask exasperated as she ups the antics with her lower lip jutting out to add a pout. "Fine," I sigh dramatically. "We leave on Tuesday," I say as I finish applying a down payment on the apartment after booking the flight.


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of you who read the previous chapter, make sure you review!**

A week later, Beatrice and Melody find themselves juggling 5 suitcases, two bookbags and one laptop case outside of Tokyo Airport.

"Remind me again why we had to bring all of your production equipment? You don't even have a studio set up or clientele to produce for!" Beatrice complained as she tried to grab one of the two massively, heavy suitcases dedicated to her best friend's equipment off of the baggage claim.

"Because last time we had it shipped to us, they broke half my stuff!" Mel reminded her cheerfully, as she easily lugged the bag off the claim.

"Well what are we going to do with it now? We can't exactly fit it in the cab, and I don't think the bus will take us with all of our stuff!"

The reality of Bea's words hits Melody dumbstruck for a moment and she instantly zoned out as she tried to come up with a solution. She was so zoned out that she didn't even notice when one of their bags came out, immediately followed by another three large bags.

Knowing Melody is completely lost in the statistics flying through her head, Bea sighs exasperatedly as she goes to grab the bag containing their clothes, but is quickly stumped by the weight of the other bags on top of it.

"Can I help you with that sweetie?" A male voice says from over her shoulder.

"Yes, that would be amazing Mr. Uh-" Bea's words caught in her throat when she turned around and beheld her savior.

The voice of the person she originally thought to be male, turned out to be a woman... She thought. Her savior had a head full of long red hair, a beautiful face accentuated with makeup and a purple sundress, wrapped around their frame.

"Oh please dear, call me Ranka!" he-sorry-she said as she easily grabbed their last suitcase from the baggage claim. "Where are you and your sister headed with all of these bags?" Ranka inquired before realizing they weren't accompanied by an adult. "Are you meeting your parents here?"

"Actually," Bea said apologetically, "according to the American legal system, my friend and I are joint emancipated minors who rely on each other. We don't have parents."

"Oh, my dears! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! Your Japanese was so good, I didn't even realize," Ranka exclaimed in embarrassment. "If you're from America, whatever brings you two to Japan with all of these bags?"

"Oh! Melody and I were just accepted into Ouran Academy! We start on Monday, but we were planning on moving into our apartment today. The reason why my friend has had such _poor manners_ right now is because she's trying to figure out how to get these bags there. I'm afraid we don't know what to do since we can't fit it all into a cab and we only have enough yen on hand for one taxi."

"Oh my goodness! Well that won't do! Where is your apartment located?" Ranka exclaimed.

"Oh! We'll be moving into the Alexan Apartments Complex."

"What a coincidence!" Ranka exclaimed. "That's where I live! You girls must be the two who are moving in next door to me and my daughter Haruhi, who I think is about your age! Please allow me to welcome you girls to Japan by giving you a lift! I have a van rented for the day, as I was accompanying my friend to the airport!"

"That _would be _quite lovely! _Wouldn't_ it Melody?!" Bea said as she elbowed her friend in the side.

"Huh, wha-?" Melody said, looking around startled, but still not quite present in the conversation. "Oh yes, nice to meet you!" She bowed to Ranka using perfect etiquette with fluent Japanese. "Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out a small problem of ours," she said before zoning out again.

Bea sighed before turning back to Ranka. "Thank you so much! That would be a huge help!"

"Wonderful!" Ranka exclaimed as he grabbed our two largest bags, full of Melody's stuff. "Let's go!"

That's all it took to bring Melody back to planet earth.

"A transvestite just stole my stuff," she said dumbfounded.

"Yes, Melody," Bea said as she threw her book bag over her shoulder before grabbing her two rolling suitcases.

"You found a transvestite on the street and let him touch my stuff!?"

"Yes! He's going to help us get _your_ _stuff_ to our apartment complex! He says his name is Ranka and he happens to live in the apartment next to ours!"

"Wait! Did you see any proof of this? How do you not know he's some crazy rapist who wears women's clothes?!"

"Do you have any better ideas?" Bea snapped back.

"But... But he took my stuff!" Melody complained in a childlike tone.

"Come on!" Bea sighed as she followed Ranka out of the airport. Melody quickly threw her book bag and laptop case over her shoulder before chasing after her beloved equipment, giving up on coming up with a better idea.

* * *

><p>The entire way to the apartment complex, Ranka babbled on and on about his beloved daughter Haruhi.<p>

"Ok, he may not be a rapist," Melody muttered into Bea's ear after 15 minutes in the car. "But he sure has one hell of a daddy complex."

"I think that it's sweet that he cares about his daughter so much," Bea smiled brilliantly at Ranka.

"Suck up," Melody muttered to another jab in the ribs.

"Thank you again for driving us Ranka! We truly appreciate it!" Bea beamed.

"Oh! After we get your keys and bring your stuff to your apartment, you both should totally join my daughter and I for dinner!" Ranka said animatedly.

"We wouldn't want to impose!" Mel quickly cut in.

"Oh please! We'd love to have you!" He said as the van pulled out in front of the complex. "Here, I'll take these bags upstairs, and you girls go over to that apartment over there to grab your keys!" Ranka said cheerfully as he grabbed Melody's large bags again.

"My stuff," Melody said in a sad puppy tone as she started to mindlessly follow after her beloved belongings.

"Come on," Bea sighed in exhaustion as she dragged her best friend to the building manager's apartment with the rest of their bags.

5 minutes later, the girls were walking up the stairs to be welcomed halfway up to the sound of Ranka's terrified cry of "HARUHI!" The girls were running before he was done screaming her name. When they burst into their new friend's apartment seconds later, they saw Ranka draped over a _girl? _The Haruhi they had heard so much about apparently didn't know much about fashion, since her hair was cut straight into a bowlcut.

"Hey dad," the girl greeted her wailing father. "Did you get Misuzu to the airport safely?"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?!" Ranka wailed, as the two other girls relaxed at the lack of danger.

"The boy in the neighborhood put gum in my hair, so I cut it off. It'll be easier to take care of this way," she said in a practically monotone voice.

"But it was so pretty!" Ranka wailed in grief.

"I don't really care what it looks like, I just didn't want to deal with the gum in my hair," Haruhi told her father honestly.

"Well, I might be able to help," Melody tentatively stepped in.

"And... Who are you?" Haruhi asked the two strange girls in confusion. The taller girl who had just spoken had her long brown hair tied up into a high ponytail, with a mini black tophat sitting askew on her head that was accompanied by a red sash. She was wearing a matching long-sleeve red shirt, and black open vest, with black skinny jeans, black hightop Vans and an assortment of necklaces. Her makeup looked plain and professional, but with an artistic flair. Her friend's burgundy hair was tied up into a high tight bun, with strands falling to frame her face. Her long sleeved, knee-length blue dress had a modest oldage European feel with open laces on the front. Her makeup had a very natural feel to it that accentuated her natural features. Their facial features and their mannerisms gave them away as American, although both girls were speaking perfect Japanese and had remembered to take off their shoes. After walking over to shake the girls' hands, Haruhi couldn't help but notice how the girl in blue was actually shorter than her, while her friend was quite a bit taller.

"I'm Melody," the first girl said in perfect Japanese.

"And I'm Beatrice, but you can call me Bea," the shorter one replied. "We met your father at the airport, and it seems like we're going to be next door neighbors. I hope we can be friends?"

"And _I_ hope you will let me fix your hair," Melody said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Sure, if you can make my dad stop weeping on the floor, go ahead," Haruhi said, gesturing to her father who was still crying prostrate on the floor.

"Do you mind if I whip up something for all of us to eat for dinner while you two do that?" Bea asked.

"Sure, Let's get your stuff into your apartment, and then you two can make yourselves feel at home," Haruhi said to her two new friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please review for this story! For all of the fans who asked me about Destiny and Desires, Ennarre and I will be getting back to it soon, but in the meantime, please enjoy Sweet Music!**

A week later, the three new friends, found themselves at the gates of the school they had dreamed about. Haruhi, unable to afford the uniform, was dressed up in some of her father's old clothes. Melody and Beatrice had received their uniforms in the mail two days prior to the start of term. Bea had loved the girlish look of the girls' yellow uniform, but Melody had taken one look before repacking the dress and sending it back to the headmaster with a note saying that there was _no_ way she'd be caught dead in that "yellow atrocity." Melody, wearing the same outfit she had worn the day she had met Haruhi, looked up at the gates of Ouran Academy.

"This is going to be a really snobbish school, isn't it?" she asked her two friends.

"Please stop," Bea sighed. Haruhi had already wandered off, too preoccupied with her books to notice her friends weren't following, while Bea tried to blend in with her yellow uniform.

"Well, let's get this overwith," Melody said as she adjusted her laptop case over her shoulder, before looking up to see two bright blue eyes right in front of her. "What the-?!"

"Hello, you must be Ouran's two newest princesses!" The eccentric blond haired boy greeted them in English. "My name is Suoh Tamaki and this is my best companion, Ootori Kyoya."

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance," The black haired boy with glasses greeted them as well in English.

"Yo," Melody said in English, before switching to Japanese. "Your English is terrible, Blondie," she told Tamaki.

"I'm SO glad you noticed my beauty!" Tamaki said with stars in his eyes to the two slack jawed girls. "Please excuse me, but English is my third language after French and Japanese."

"So what?" Melody said, "Japanese is my sixth language and I still can speak it well." Kyoya's eyebrows rose in interest at this.

_This could be interesting,_ he thought to himself before stepping forward and offering his hand, a gesture which was blatantly ignored by the brunette while her dark purple haired friend quickly took it. "May we escort you ladies to the head's office?" he asked with his best host's smile.

"That would be extremely helpful," Beatrice said after she had introduced Melody and herself, as Melody looked Kyoya over with a thoughtful expression as if she were trying to read his very soul.

"Extremely helpful," Melody agreed in a sugary tone, with a smile Kyoya was sure was her "host" equivalent.

"Then let us guide you!" Tamaki said as he looped Bea's arm around his before leading her off. Kyoya and Melody watched as Tamaki half dragged poor Bea across the courtyard into the main building.

"Shall we?" Kyoya offered his arm to Melody with his best host smile.

"Sure!" she said, sugary-fake smile still in place. "If you can keep up, that is," she said before skipping off after her friend and Tamaki.

_This could be _very_ interesting_, Kyoya smiled as he followed after her.

* * *

><p>After getting their schedules, Bea and Melody agreed to meet up at lunch. After splitting up with her best friend, Bea found her way to classroom 1-A and found Haruhi being pestered by twin redheads.<p>

"Hi, Haruhi," Bea greeted her friend, effectively cutting off the annoyance. "Do you need any help?" she asked timidly.

"Oh, hey! No, I'm fine," Haruhi greeted her with a smile. "We should sit down before class starts."

By this point, the twins who had been annoying Haruhi, had sat in the far back of the classroom in the last two seats by the window. By this point, the only seats left were right beside them. Bea went to sit in the second to last seat as Haruhi sat behind her.

Meanwhile, Melody made her way to classroom 3-A, where she found an open seat in the far back corner of the classroom. She immediately pulled out her laptop and pulled up the stock reports for Catchya Music.

"Why aren't you wearing the uniform?" a cheerful voice chirped beside her. Melody looked up to see a tall muscular silent man with a small blond boy on his shoulders, who looked to be even shorter than her best friend.

"Because that yellow is horrendous, and I wouldn't be caught dead in it," she replied before going back to the stocks.

"What are you looking at Mel-chan?"

Melody sat back and tried to clear her head by slowly shaking it a few times before turning back to the boy lolita. "_What_ did you just call me?" she asked in her sickly sweet voice.

"Mitsukuni, stay back," the tall one said, while pushing the small one behind him.

"But, Takashi, she's just sad because she's so scary that no one but us wants to be her friends," the one known as Mitsukuni said as he stepped around the one known as Takashi. Both Melody's and Takashi's eyebrows raised at his comment, but Takashi's eyes widened in concern as Melody's darkened in anger.

"Mitsukuni, we should find our seats," Takashi said in warning.

"Please," Melody said in her sweetest voice. "Morinozuka Takashi and Haninozuka Mitsukuni, there are two empty seats beside me, and I would _love it _if you would sit with me."

By this point, Mitsukuni was hiding behind Takashi. "Takashi? How does she know our names if we haven't introduced ourselves?"

"I've done my research," Melody explained with a honest smile, "I know a lot about everyone at this school. I'm sorry for being harsh before, but I don't like it when people disturb me when I'm in business mode."

At that point, the teacher came in and orientation started and lasted until lunch. As Honey, Mori, and Melody walked to the cafeteria, they were met by the blond idiot and Kyoya in the hallway.

"Tama-chan! Kyo-chan!" Honey called to the two younger men.

"Why am I _not _surprised that you all know each other?" Melody muttered under her breath as she followed after the four men.

Halfway to the cafeteria, Honey called out, "Kao-chan! Hika-chan!" but before he could finish, Melody was dashing towards them.

"Haruhi!" she called, much to the shock and surprise of the men surrounding them. "Come eat lunch with me!"

"But I was going to go to the libr-"

"You can do that _after_ _we eat_!" Melody cut off the wide-eyed Haruhi, before dragging her into the lunchroom. The six boys looked at each other before shrugging and following them into the cafeteria. Five of them froze though when they saw Melody and Haruhi chatting animatedly with the girl behind the counter. Kyoya walked straight up and greeted her with their orders. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru quickly followed, while Mori remained frozen.

"Takashi?" Honey asked, noticing his friend's raised eyebrows.

"Sorry," Mori replied before following after their friends.

"Kyoya! Why is this princess slaving away to her death in the kitchens?!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Oh, you again," Bea greeted Tamaki. "I'm actually still not a princess. I work in here to help pay for this school. Melody is able to pay for her schooling with the earnings from her company."

"Oh you shall be our Cinderella! Locked away in the evil tower!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Wrong fairytale," Bea sighed as she passed him his lunch and moved on to the next student.

"Hey, I'm leaving after lunch today since I have a client. Can you get home by yourself?" Melody asked Bea.

"Of course!" Bea replied. "We only live two blocks away. I can walk with Haruhi."

"But I'm planning on staying and trying to find some quiet place to study," Haruhi cut in.

"I can still make it home safe," Bea insisted.

"Fine," Melody grudgingly agreed, before the three of them split up.


End file.
